6 Tips for Better Work Life Balance

Work life balance sometimes feels like one of those goals that is just unattainable, particularly if we have an ultra demanding job and an ultra demanding home life.

When trying to create an effective work life balance, our focus should be on time management, stress management, and preventing burnout.

There are a number of benefits to having a great work life balance:

• It lowers your risk of health problems. One study found that working 3-4 hours of overtime daily increased your risk of heart related conditions by 60%. In other areas, increased overtime can be the cause of more alcohol consumptions, increased smoking, less exercise, and just poor health overall.

• In increases your productivity levels. Studies have proven that productivity levels after a certain level of overtime fall drastically. Overtime is usually associated with less sleep and more fatigue which has a direct impact on how effective you will be while working.

So, here are some tips for improving your own work life balance:

1. Take meaningful breaks.

Ideally, at work, you should be receiving at least 1-30 minute break and 2-15 minute breaks throughout the day. Unfortunately, I know a lot of people who don’t get these and those who do typically are in the habit of not actually using their breaks during the day.

Taking breaks is incredibly important for our focus and motivation. Without breaks, the longer the day goes on, the more disconnected and unfocused we will be from our work.

Taking the actual break isn’t the only important part, taking meaningful breaks is also an important part of the equation.

It can be easy to do something simple like pick up your phone to scroll social media when you have a break, especially if you only have a 15 minute break, but try to resist the urge to do something meaningless.

Fill your break times with things that will help fill your cup and restore some of your energy.

Some of the meaningful tasks that I do while on my breaks from work:

• Going for a walk (even if it’s just around the block)

• Reading a book for fun

• Working in a therapy workbook

• Getting outside for some sun

• Reading a book that will help me in some aspect of life (financial read, self-help read, hobby reads)

• 10 or 15 minute yoga exercise

• Meditation or self-hypnosis

2. Stick to your normal work hours.

Part of learning to have a healthy work life balance is learning to balance the time you spend working and the time you spend for yourself.

No matter what job we work, I think one of the most relatable feelings is having not done enough, and the idea that we need to keep putting in extra hours to make up for what we should be doing. A lesson that can be hard for some of us to learn though - there will be always be more work and we will likely always feel like we could be doing more. This doesn’t mean we should be doing more.

One of the most healthy things I did to help bring some calm to my work life balance was determining the hours I was going to work for the week and sticking to those hours.

Even when I have a bad day, I end work when I said I was going to end work.

For me, my work day lasts almost my entire day. I wake up at 7-7:30AM, I start work between 9-10AM, and I end around 6:30-7:30PM. I go to bed at 8:30.

Because of this, it’s incredibly important for me to stick to my work hours if I want to get in any sort of self care before the end of the day or at night.

With the addition of kids or pets into this routine, it becomes even more important to stay on track so you have the energy to give to the other areas of your life that need it too.

With this being said, there are times that you must work late and that can’t be helped. We can’t always get it perfect.

In these situations, just realize that you are taking time away from your personal life to get some extra work done, but acknowledge that this is a one or two time thing. It’s important to reinforce that this shouldn’t become a routine or habit.

3. Prioritize your health.

When it comes to having a stable work life balance, our health should always be the top thing prioritized.

The truth is: you’ll be a better worker for it.

If you have a chronic condition, doing this is even more essential to keep you healthy, happy, and productive.

Here are some ways you can prioritize your health:

• Don’t skip meals at work. Always make sure you are making time to eat. (Added bonus: Bring your lunch/dinner so you can ensure you’re getting something healthy and nutritious that will give you a boost!)

• Use therapy in your support system. I’m a firm believer that everybody could benefit from having a therapist.

• Use accommodations at work to support managing your mental illness. Unsure how to ask for accommodations, check out my article: How to Ask for Workplace Accommodations and for a list of accommodations common for mental health, check out: Workplace Accommodations for Mental Illness.

• Use flex time so you are working the hours in which you’re most efficient. As long as it isn’t a burden to the company you work for, getting flex hours to accommodate being a night owl shouldn’t be too difficult. This would usually look like a later start time.

• Don’t skip breaks. Use them to mentally recharge for when you go back to work. I always like to do self-care habits on breaks instead of doing something mindless like scrolling my phone, which doesn’t help with filling my cup for the day.

• Don’t be afraid to call in sick when you need it. Look into signing up for intermittent FMLA if you have an illness that makes this necessary from time to time. For example, I’m approved for 2 flare-ups in my condition a month, each flare-up lasting two days. These days off can’t be used against me from an absent policy even though they’re not planned because FMLA is protected.

4. Reflect on your goals - in the office and outside.

Taking time to reflect on our goals can sometimes seem like a luxury not many of us have.

But keeping an eye on what your goals are, where you are, and where you want to go are key essentials to having a healthy, productive work life balance that keeps you on the right track and motivated to achieve or get the things you desire.

First, take a good look at where your time is going currently, and ask yourself if this is ideal? Do you want to be spending this much time at work and are you willing to sacrifice parts of your home life to work extra? If so, are you aware and okay with the trade-off you are giving up to make working extra time possible?

Next, lay out your work goals. Take time to really focus on what you want to get out of your job and how much of that you are currently getting in return for your work. Do you need to work more hours to achieve your goals? Can your work day be structured differently to support your goals and the needs of the specific tasks you’re required to do? (Bonus points: Meet with your current supervisor or manager to get their feedback on how you are doing in your current role and to get any helpful tips or feedback they can provide that can offer you more insight into how to have the balance your work priorities and your goals with what the company or job needs from you.)

And last, lay out your personal goals. Determine what things you really want to accomplish outside your work life. What opportunities do you want to engage with in your home life? What do you see or want to see yourself doing more of? Do you have any desires or dreams that you currently are putting on the back burner to accommodate not having time after a full weeks of work? How can you begin to slowly incorporate this into your day so you can begin striving towards the things you want to achieve.

If you’re having a tough time working through your goals, check out my article A Guide for Self-Organization: Goal Setting.

Finally, does your vision at the end of this look like your reality you reflected on in the beginning? What changes can you make so you can meet both your goals at work and your goals in your home life? What things can you do differently in both areas to further support making your goals a priority now? What things can you do in the future to ensure your goals on both sides are prioritized even if it seems difficult for you right now?

Even if you start with only a baby step towards where you want to eventually end up, a baby step is better than no step. A baby step is still one step in the direction of a better life for yourself.

5. Take advantage of your employers EAP.

What is an EAP?

An EAP is an Employee Assistance Program. It’s a voluntary program that your employer provides that offers free and confidential services and assessments, short-term counseling, referrals and follow ups to problems you might be having at work or even in your home life. The program is designed to help you navigate some of your personal struggles and point you in the right direction for resources related to your hardships. It’s in an employers best interest to offer an EPA because it helps reduce stress but has leads to more productivity and less absenteeism.

How to find out if your employer has an EAP?

Check with your HR rep to help determine if your employer has an EAP that you can use.

What services do EAP’s provide?

• Mental health programs (a lot of EAP’s offer a certain number of mental health counseling sessions for free)

• Finding a fitness plan

• Help coping with chronic illnesses

• Finding childcare

• Managing relationships with coworkers

• Marriage counseling services

• Help locate caregivers or nursing homes for a loved one

• Family planning

• Establishing a plan for professional development

• Help with substance abuse

• Referrals to legal services

• Making travel plans

• Managing workplace stress and responsibilities

• Online self-help tools and resources

Taking advantage of the tools and resources available to you can help you manage your mental health and life in more positive and successful ways.

6. Embrace the way your brain works.

One of our greatest struggles can be coming to terms with how our brains work effectively.

It doesn’t matter if you’re neurodivergent or neurotypical, we all struggle with learning how our brains work best. We are all different and we all require different things to function effectively and smoothly.

It’s essential to understand that your brain is always changing.

Every time we learn something new, our brains are forming or strengthening certain neural pathways. We have the capacity to learn new things and change our behaviors to help us achieve the things we want to achieve.

With that being said, every brain is different.

Because every brain is different, trying different approaches to learning and working is needed when figuring out what will work best for you.

First, you need to identify the areas you’re really struggling. What is negatively impacting your work life balance most?

In both our work and home life, some of the things we can commonly struggle with are: time management skills, putting ideas into action, planning or organizing, getting easily distracted and jumping from task to task, and forgetfulness.

If you’re neurodivergent, you may need to do a little more research into what works best for those with neurodivergency.

The most important take-away is not let these negative areas continue to impact your life. Do something about them.

Be open to trying new strategies and ideas when it comes to solving your work life balance problems. Be willing to trial many different solutions to see which one goes best with your brain and the way that it works.

Don’t accept the idea that just because your brain is different, it means it can’t function properly or grow and expand. Know that there are ideas and solutions out there for every type of brain. It’s simply finding the right solutions that work best for you.

Do you have any great tips for having a better work life balance?? Share them in the comments below!